When I left for Peace Corps, I brought along my tent and backpack with plans to get a few treks in while I was serving. I hadn’t decided where, I just knew that there would be great places to go.

A fellow PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) had mentioned the Transcaucasian Trail Association (TCT) to me and we talked about volunteering to trail build after we finished our service.

Then one day, she forwarded an email about a fundraising trip for the association in June in Armenia. It was exactly what I was looking for.

The TCT was formed by a returned Peace Corps Volunteer that served in Georgia. The work that he and many others have done to make this happen is really amazing. The various associations are working together to not only build the trails but also assist the local villages with creating guest houses.

Here is Paul Stephens talking about the TCT.

The next few posts are about my hike and then a few about the time that I spent in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

To prepare for trips, I look for documentaries about the country or city and particularly look for food shows to see what I should include on my must try list. In the spring of 2018, the CNN Series “Parts Unknown” released the episode of when Anthony Bourdain visited Armenia. I was so grateful to have his insight before me trip and was so saddened when he passed. He will be missed by so many.